This invention relates to an arrangement of a high power cable which connects a motor and power supply devices of hybrid drive vehicles and electric drive vehicles.
A parallel hybrid vehicle which runs under the power of either the engine or the motor, or both, is disclosed in pp. 39-52 of xe2x80x9cAutomobile Engineeringxe2x80x9d, Vol. 46, No.7, published in June 1997 in Japan by Tetsudo Nihon Sha.
In such a hybrid vehicle, the engine and the motor are supported on the vehicle body via a relatively low rigidity mount which uses a large mass of rubber or the like to suppress transmission of vibration to the vehicle body. On the other hand, an electric power supply device is installed via a relatively high rigidity bracket on the body. Therefore, some relative movement arises between the motor and electric power supply device while the vehicle is traveling.
To absorb this relative motion, there must be some tolerance in the length of high power cable which supplies power from the electric power supply device to the motor. If the vehicle were to suffer an impact which did not damage the motor, but which caused a larger relative displacement than usual, it is desirable that this displacement would not damage the cable so that the vehicle could continue to run. The high power cable is therefore designed to have a length which can comply with such a necessity.
In a hybrid vehicle, in addition to an engine, a motor for running, a motor for generating power, a motor for generating oil pressure, a high output battery for driving motors, a battery for driving auxiliary devices and inverters for controlling the output of the motors, are installed in an engine room.
As a result, there is little space available surrounding the engine and motors, and it is difficult to provide a high power cable of sufficient length. Also, if the length of the high power cable is increased, it easily comes in contact with other instruments due to vibration when the vehicle is running, so there is a high probability that the cable will be damaged and wear out due to this contact.
Even in an electric drive vehicle having only a motor as source of drive force, a reaction to the motor drive force causes relative motion between the motor and power supply devices, and there is a risk that the same problem will occur as with a hybrid drive vehicle.
It is therefore an object of this invention to suitably arrange a high power cable which connects a motor with a power supply device in a hybrid drive vehicle or electric drive vehicle.
In order to achieve the above object, this invention provides an aligning device for a high power cable in such an electric drive vehicle that comprises a drive device including an electric motor coupled to a drive shaft, and a power supply device which supplies current to the electric motor via a high power cable. The aligning device comprises a holder that holds the high power cable in a curved shape in an axial direction of the drive shaft while releasing the high power cable when the high power cable is subject to a predetermined external force acting toward the front of the vehicle.